Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Jason in North Idaho mentioned the documentary “Alone in the Wilderness“ about Richard Proenneke. Jason notes: “I saw it on on PBS. It was very good documentary.”

   o o o

The day’s economic news, starting with this from The New York Times, courtesy of Karl K.: The End of the Financial World as We Know It. Next, Jonathan B. sent this: The Economist magazine says its a depression. Allen sent us this sobering piece by the ever-cheery Ambrose Evans-Pritchard of The London Telegraph: Asia needs to fully wake up to the scale of the West’s economic crisis. And top all that, come these from Cheryl: China, Crystal Maker Waterford Wedgwood Collapses [JWR Adds: Be advised that this corporate umbrella includes Doulton, the makers of the Big Berky ceramic filter elements. So stock up!] — Ford’s US Sales Drop 32% in December — Bailout Costs Exceed All American Wars — US Asks Arab Nations for $300 Billion to Fund Auto Bailout — Idle Ports Signals Two Bleak Years Ahead in World Trade — Wall Street Braces for 2009’s First Full Week — Buffet’s Berkshire “has nowhere to hide” — Downturn Stress Impacting Health — As Recession Deepens, So Does Milk Surplus — America Shifts to Cheaper Wines, and More of Them

   o o o

Justin M. flagged a piece in The Los Angeles Times that indicates that Asian Avian flus is still a threat: New bird flu cases revive fears of human pandemic

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Because of the unprecedented fragility of our intertwined power grid and complex transportation system, the technological West is highly vulnerable to sabotage and chaos." – Camille Paglia

The MOAB Expands Yet Again: Five State Governors Seek $1 Trillion from Uncle Sugar

Back in November I reiterated my point that the Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB) would know no limits. One of my specific warnings was: “The States – Some 29 of the 50 states are reporting budget crises. Lo an behold, most of the hardest hit states are those with bloated Nanny State bureaucracies. No surprise there. The states that had the worst fiscal management, of course, will get the biggest share of the taxpayer funds. Those that were fiscally conservative will get nothing.” A recent wire service headline confirmed that prediction: U.S. governors seek $1 trillion federal assistance.The article begins: “Governors of five U.S. states urged the federal government to provide $1 trillion in aid to the country’s 50 states to help pay for education, welfare and infrastructure as states struggle with steep budget deficits amid a deepening recession. The governors of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio and Wisconsin — all Democrats — said the initiative for the two-year aid package was backed by other governors and follows a meeting in December where governors called on President-elect Barack Obama to help them maintain services in the face of slumping revenues.”

This is affirmation of my long-standing assertion that the MOAB will continue to expand, uncontrollably. According to a published tally sent to me by SurvivalBlog reader Matt C., $7.2 trillion of bailout money has been allocated, of which $2.6 trillion has already been spent. It is noteworthy that this figure does not include President-elect BHO’s proposed $1 trillion “stimulus package”, nor does it include the $1 trillion sought by the state governors.But even this glut of Federal largesse (from your wallet, BTW), will be insufficient. You will read of some spectacular state and municipal bond failures, more derivatives fiascos, state pension funds “in crisis”, and then there will be news of “special levies”, “temporary’ or “one time” taxes, and so forth. I anticipate that both state income taxes and state sales taxes will increase dramatically. There of course will also be news of “drastic” cut-backs, but chances are that while some of the more extravagant programs will be cut, few bureaucratic paper-pushing jobs will be sacrificed. (That, my friends is is the only truly “essential service” in the eyes of a bureaucrat.) I also would not be surprised to see some of the states that have never had sales taxes start to implement them. The bottom line is that we can expect taxes to increase at the city, state, and Federal levels. In an era of rising unemployment, the few people that are still productive and fully employed will be asked to shoulder the burden of the bailouts. It will be wealth redistribution on a grand scale–Robin Hoodism run amok. The only genuine escape from all this would be expatriation, but few will take that route. However, the one thing that you can do with relative ease is move internally to a state with a smaller scale of government. Again, it is no coincidence that the states that have he most bloated bureaucracies, the least fiscal responsibility, and the most Nanny State trappings are those that are having the biggest budget crises. If you stay in any of those states, they are going to sock it to you. You can expect–with utter certainty–that the tax rates in those states to soon rise to painful levels. My advice is simple: Vote with your feet.

For any of SurvivalBlog readers that are self-employed, or that are retired (or that are about to retire), or that have “portable” jobs that are readily available with the same job security in other states, my advice comes down to one word: move. If you have been considering moving to a state with suitable retreat areas, take this as your cue. Given the deteriorating real estate markets-both residential and commercial–this may indeed be your last chance to sell and move before you lose another 30% of your equity. Parenthetically, I recently had some correspondence with a consulting client that owner of a small but prosperous business in California. This man owns both a home and half a dozen pieces of commercial real estate. He is someone that has been “considering” moving to a state where hi family would have better chance of avoiding violent crime. My advice to him was blunt:

“I recommend that you seriously consider moving out of California, while you still have the chance to sell your business as a profitable operation, and sell your other commercial properties at a profit.” And later, “I recommend moving out of California and making your new [retreat] home your full-time residence. Sell off most or all of your California properties. Perhaps leave one or two that are the most stable, profitable, and recession proof in the hands of a trustworthy commercial property management company. I realize that it is a major life change that we are discussing, but recognize the real decisions have already been made, and made by folks “above our pay grade”. Presently, 99% of the population are deer in the headlights. They are petrified and they are going to get squashed. You are in a good position at present, and you should take full advantage of it by cashing out and moving as soon as possible. If you wait until the recession (and then depression) sets in in earnest, you will probably lose nearly everything. ” And later in the correspondence, after he mentioned how his business ventures were still prospering, I wrote: ” At the current rate, the prosperity you currently enjoy will evaporate in less than two years. By then, all that you will have is un-sellable properties and negative cash flows. Get out!” I then went on to recommend to make some specific recommendations on potential retreat locales (one of which was highlighted in my book “Rawles on Retreat and Relocation“.) I concluded with an admonition: “There are quality of like issues at stake, but more importantly preservation of life issues. Discuss this with your family and pray about it. In any case reduce your commercial real estate holdings, as soon as possible. That needs to be done, regardless of where you move. Do not hesitate.”

I’m sure that there are many other SurvivalBlog readers that are in comparable situations to that consulting client. My advice to many of you would probably be much the same. The only strong proviso in all this is: Do not abandon a job that is good-paying and that has genuine job security. In times like these, that would be foolish.

Letter Re: Bulk Diesel Fuel Antibacterial and Stabilizer

Hi Jim,
For what it is worth: I was quoted $1.99/gal for diesel/fuel oil for Friday delivery (Northern Virginia) from the terminal, and since it looks like prices will be heading up from here, I am filling all of my reserve tanks. After several hours of study, I decided to go with FPPF Super Fuel Storage Stabilizer and FPPF KILLEM (rather than PRI-D or Stanadyne products) in 32 ounce bottles to protect my investment. The best price I found via mail order was from Fleet Source in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Delivered cost: $126 for enough to treat 4,000 gallons.

I hope this is useful information for your other readers. Thank you so very much for your wonderful work! Happy New Year! – Scott in Northern Virginia

Letter Re: Small Volume Water Purification with UV from Sunlight

Jim,
I recently learned about a water purification system that is being promoted by Rotary International for Third World areas without safe drinking water. Simply put: fill a plastic bottle with water, and leave it in the bright sun for six hours. The ultraviolet (UV) light kills the pathogens, and the water is safe to drink. [JWR Adds: This method only works well with fairly clear water. UV light cannot penetrate very murky water, and it will not sterilize any plant matter suspended in the water. So be sure to use a pre-filter when treating water from open sources such as ponds, lakes, or streams. ]

Sound too good to be true? The Swiss-developed system has been saving lives for 17 years. It is fastest in the tropics, where increased water temperature assists the process. Winter use in temperate zones may want to consider using solar ovens or greenhouses to achieve adequate water temperature. Even in bright cloudy weather, the process is effective after two days.

I might not want to make this my first potion, but if stranded in the wilderness, of stuck for an extended period without a reliable water supply, I’d give it serious consideration. Regards, – Ben

Letter Re: Acquiring Tire Repair Supplies and Compressors

Mr. Rawles,
After getting a flat tire recently in the back-country I decided to beef up my off-road repair kit with more than just a spare tire. I now have two spares. I’ve also added a portable 12V compressor along with a portable tire puncture repair kit like this one.

For $35 the kit includes enough plugs to repair perhaps a dozen punctures, extra valve stems and valves, valve wrench and high quality reamer and needle for applying the tire plugs. It is an excellent kit and is much higher quality than the plug kits you find in typical auto stores.

In some states it’s illegal to use tire plugs, but for an emergency situation it may be just the ticket you need to get to a tire shop and have a proper tire patch applied. – Craig R.

JWR Replies: That is good advice. I must add one proviso: The 12 VDC compressors normally sold for roadside emergencies use a very wimpy compressor that will not re-inflate a flat tire that has the weight of a car resting on in. They just don’t have the requisite oomph. Buy a proper 117 VAC compressor with a 2 gallon pressure tank. (If you are a SurvivalBlog reader, odds are that you already carry a 117 VAC inverter, anyway. These compressors can be run from a small inverter. I’ve done so many times around the ranch.) If you pay less than $50 for a new compressor, then you can be sure that it will be inadequate for anything more than adding a few pounds of pressure to a tire with a slow leak.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Thanks to Lisa for finding this gem: Blacksmith ‘a collector of forgotten trades’

   o o o

Joe H. sent us a link to an article from Permaculture magazine about self-sufficient living on the cheap (in England)

   o o o

I read that the latest movie in the Terminator franchise (Terminator 4: Salvation) is scheduled for release on May 22, 2009. Judging from the trailers, it looks like most if not all of the film takes place in the post-Skynet nuked future. This one should be good.

   o o o

The latest flurry of economic news and commentary links from The Economatrix: Bank Bailouts a Failure…And There is No Plan “B” — Frugal is Cool in Cash-Strapped US — UK $200 Billion Re-Financing Time Bomb — UK Banks on Brink of Second Bailout — UK Banks Defy Brown’s Call to Loosen Credit — BoE to Cut Interest Rates; Savers to Receive Zero Interest — Jobless in City Park Tent Village — US Manufacturing Slumps to 1980 Low — Gulf Cooperation Council to Create New Currency — Feds Sell Off Failed IndyMac for $13.9 Billion — Sanderson State Bank Latest Failed Bank — Oil Prices Rebound as Dollar Slumps — Store Bankruptcies Can Burn Shoppers — Will Your Cell Phone Crash in Emergencies?

   o o o

FloridaGuy flagged this: Newark, New Jersey bans barbed wire

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"There was no court in Holland which would enforce payment. The question was raised in Amsterdam, but the judges unanimously refused to interfere, on the ground that debts contracted in gambling were no debts in law. Thus the matter rested. To find a remedy was beyond the power of the government. Those who were unlucky enough to have had stores of tulips on hand at the time of the sudden reaction were left to bear their ruin as philosophically as they could; those who had made profits were allowed to keep them; but the commerce of the country suffered a severe shock, from which it was many years ere it recovered." – Charles Mackay, LL.D., describing the Tulipomania, in Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, first published London,1841.

Letter Re: Building a Very Inexpensive 10-in-1 Machine Tool for Every Retreat

Dear Mr. Rawles
The [home-made] MultiMachine is an accurate all-purpose machine tool that can be used as a metal or wood lathe, end mill, horizontal mill, drill press, wood or metal saw or sander, surface grinder and sheet metal “spinner”. It can be built by a semi-skilled mechanic using just common hand tools. For machine construction, electricity can be replaced with “elbow grease” and all the necessary material can come from discarded vehicle parts.

If the MultiMachine builder adds just three easily-learned skills:

Making small welds with a welder made from three vehicle batteries hooked in series.
Using a flower pot furnace to make simple Zinc and Aluminum alloy castings.
Grinding lathe cutting tools. (There are many “How to” instructions on the web for all this).

…then they can then build seven additional metal bending, rolling and cutting tools that could be used to equip a small but fully functional metal working factory.
That’s about 20 serious metal working tools in a project that needs just broken engine blocks, used pipe and truck frame pieces (and lots of hacksaw blades)!

How can just one kind of machine do all this? In almost every kind of machining operation, either the work piece or the cutting tool turns. If enough flexibility is built into these functions, the resulting machine can do almost every kind of metal working operation that will physically fit.
Sounds crazy or too good to be true? The 4,600 member Yahoo news group on Multimachines doesn’t think so and are standing ready to help.
Don’t know anything about machining? Read the small book “How to Run a Lathe” available on our news group.
Every person interested in personal survival needs these free books and video in their library (at least)!
Again, no catches, no charges, no nothing! Just benefit from the seven years work spent developing machine tools for poor people in developing countries. – Pat D.

From the SurvivalBlog Archives: Survival On a Shoestring Budget

I often get e-mails from readers claiming either directly or indirectly that preparedness is “only for wealthy people”–that working class people cannot afford to prepare. That is nonsense. By simply re-prioritizing your budget and cutting out needless expenses (such as alcohol, cigarettes, convenience foods, and cable television) almost anyone can set aside enough money for a year’s worth of storage food in fairly short order.

It is amazing what can be done with hard work, ingenuity, and very little money. While I do not endorse interloping on public lands nor do I suggest that you live like a hermit, the following stories are indicative of what can be accomplished with next to no cash.

First, here is an article about about a father and daughter that lived for four years undetected in a Portland, Oregon park

Next, a news story about a hermit who secretly lived for at least three years inside the “secure” Los Alamos nuclear research reservation in New Mexico:

Next, an article about New York City’s part-legend, part-fact “Mole People”

I also vaguely recall in the 1990s reading an article about a man who secretly built an underground house in parkland abutting the suburbs somewhere on the east coast. The house went undetected for several years. Its entrance was hidden in a berry thicket. He was only discovered because neighbors saw his comings and goings. When police arrived to investigate, after much searching for the entrance, they entered the underground house just after than man had taken a shower in his underground bathroom. (Perhaps one of you readers saved the newspaper clipping or has a link to the news story.)

I recommend the book “The Last of the Mountain Men“. It is the story of Sylvan Hart (a.k.a.”Buckskin Bill”), a famous Idaho solitary who lived deep in a roadless section of the River of No Return Wilderness. His solution to his own unemployment during the Great Depression was to move to the wilderness and live self-sufficiently. The book describes how Hart lived from the 1930s to the 1970s. He mined and smelted his own copper, made his own muzzle loading rifles and pistols, and constructed his house and garden. It is a fascinating book.

And for someone with a “maxi” budget? Consider the Bear Den: [now advertised at our spin-off SurvivalReatly.com web site.]

I didn’t point out all of the preceding references because I want you to live like hermits or flee into the wilderness and live in a hollowed-out tree like the boy in My Side of the Mountain. Rather, I just want you to start thinking outside the box. Survival is 90% sweat, ingenuity, and perseverance. It is only the remaining 10% that requires cash.

Letter Re: Feed Sacks as Sandbag Substitutes

Mr. Rawles;
We came across a small discovery here on our ranch. We feed many animals and four dogs. So we go through a good deal of dog food in bags. I noticed the similarity in dog food bags to the construction of sandbags. So, I have been using , dog food bags as low cost/no cost sandbags. They work well and if you keep the weight close to the amount that came in the bag. They don’t rip. We have been using them for a year and they hold up well in our tests thus far. They have been used in areas that are under roof so they don’t get exposed to rain/moisture. They work well in areas where one would want to bag to bolster areas close to windows etc. We have also stored some without sand dirt and they hold up well and don’t seem to degrade.

I thought I would share our small discovery. Thanks for what you do and your efforts. – EG

Odds ‘n Sods:

The Releveller wrote to suggest that America’s architectural future may lie in China’s past: Fujian Tulou.

   o o o

In the “Why am I not surprised?” Department: NASA’s Hansen to Obama: Use Global Warming to Redistribute Wealth

   o o o

Chris K. sent a linked to a Wired magazine article with lots of rookie survival comments. Chris noted: “A few sound like they may survive the first couple weeks and [then] become armed and dangerous — a good reason to move another 100 miles away from the ‘blast zone’.”

   o o o

More economic cheer from Cheryl: 2008 Humiliating Year for Investors, Outlook for 2009 Grim — Ten Major Threats Facing US Dollar in 2009 — In Gold We Trust — GMAC Bailout a Sign of the Times — Second-Hand Stores Shine in Weak Retail Market — 1940s Austerity: Make Do, Waste Not — Flawed Accounting Methods Hides True Scale of Pension Fund Losses — Microsoft Announces 15,000 Job Losses — Economists Warn of Doom and Gloom — Jobless Who Get Benefits Most Since 1982; 4.5 Million Figure Expected to Grow — Banker Buys $37 Million Apartment After Getting $25 Million Buying for Doing Virtually Nothing — How We Went from $42,000 to $6,500 and Lived to Tell About It — GMAC’s $6 Billion Deal Show Why Automakers Need to Head for Chapter 11 — Ludwig von Mises Institute: The Crisis in 10 Points

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 20 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include:

First Prize: The writer of the best contributed article will be awarded two transferable Front Sight  “Gray” Four Day Training Course Certificates. This is an up to $4,000 value!
Second Prize: A three day course certificate from OnPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses.
Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing

Round 20 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

Letter Re: Inexpensive Spare Eyeglasses

Hello JWR,
Thanks for the site. Information is the best currency. I will send 10 Cent Challenge money in February.
Just wanted to give you a link to LBWEyewear.com, a site I discovered which sells [made-to-order] prescription eyeglasses. Most normal pairs are less than $25. Some less than $15.
I don’t have any connection to that site, just a satisfied customer. I’m sure there are others like it.

I have found that paying 200+ dollars for a pair of glasses is not economical because I lose them often and break them. It’s always good to have a spare pair in the car, or BOB. And even though ordering eyeglasses on a web site”sight unseen” means you have to guess as to the style / fit, it’s better to have a clunky pair in an emergency than none. Also, post-SHTF, optometrists appointments are probably low priority. I think this falls under the category of medical supplies, such as prescription medicines.

For the second time now I have ordered 4 pairs for less than 60 dollars. There is a pair in each vehicle I own, one by the television, one in the shooting bag, etc. Also, after ordering once I now know which to order that are stylish for me. This company sent both my packages snailmail within two weeks.

Here’s the catch: you have to know your prescription. That means you have to call your eye doctor and finagle this information out of their receptionist. Legally they have to give you this info, but that doesn’t mean they will. Optometrists make their money selling their ability to check your eyes. They’re selling you the eye exam, not the glasses. But they give you the exam “for free”, because you will buy the glasses for hundreds of dollars. The manufacturing itself costs only a few dollars for common glass
Also, your prescription is more than what is written on your contact lenses box. You have to know the power of your near / farsightedness, the axis of any astigmatisms, and your pupillary distance. Doctors don’t often give this information on the first try.

In support of buying local and supporting independent retailers you may want to pay your optometrist something for their service. I however cannot justify another pair of over-priced specs. Offering to “buy the exam” may be a more honorable way to go.
Hope this info is helpful! Best, – N.